Under the pressure of the fierce attack
Gelius lowered his gaze toward his hand which had blocked the strike to see steam rising from it as if it were on the verge of burning from the intensity of the power
He said to himself in astonishment
Damn I did not realize his speed until he was right beside me Damn you Eye What is this monster
Arius advanced with quick steps his attacks cascading like storms and the pressure mounting on Gelius who began to retreat backward defending with difficulty His gaze was lost trying to find a single opening amidst the flood of strikes raining down upon him without pause
And while retreating heavily Gelius raised his head to the sky and said in a resentful tone
> I cannot believe that I will be forced to use this against a mere novice like him
>
He clenched his fists slowly and at that moment everything froze the air the dust even the sounds of battle died down as if the world were trapped in a silent moment A dark crimson aura began to rise from his body the energetic pressure wrapping around him like a chain of fire He opened his eyes suddenly and the explosion erupted
The bodies of soldiers lying on the ground flew into the air like autumn leaves and the sky filled with the brilliance of his rising energy Gelius roared from the depths of his chest his cries tearing through the air and shaking the earth until everything finally subsided and he remained at the center of a storm of red energy
Arius stood below watching him with cautious eyes but before he could move the system window appeared before him saying
> Current Power Analysis 2 Septillion
>
He froze for a moment and said in a faint voice
> Damn is he really trying to kill me
>
But before he could finish his words he felt a presence behind him He turned with his eyes only to find Gelius standing right behind him smiling coldly
And in an instant thousands of strikes rained down upon him from nowhere as if time itself were being crushed upon his body Every strike tore through the air and bent bones until he fell to the ground exhausted breathing with difficulty with dust covering his face
Gelius approached with calm steps and placed his foot upon the head of Arius then began to crush him against the ground rubbing him as if he were something of no value He looked upward toward his mistress as if saying without words I am the best always
Nahira was above sitting with confidence following the scene with cold features and a slanted smile of arrogance She turned to her assistant and said
> Reward him later He has proven his loyalty anew
>
The assistant replied with a bow
> Your command my mistress
>
Then he added
> Shall we end this now
>
She replied with a faint smile
> Yes let us end this
>
But suddenly everything changed
A strange feeling swept through the place the energetic bubble surrounding the arena shook and energy began to leak in all directions like boiling steam Gelius looked at the ground and saw the hand of Arius gripping his foot tightly squeezing it until the sound of bones cracking was heard
He screamed in pain and pulled away violently only to see a light crimson energy rising from Arius this time different purer deeper
Gelius whispered in astonishment
> Energy of the Rulers How can a rascal like you possess it
>
Arius raised his head opened his eyes slowly and before a moment had passed he vanished from his place and appeared directly in front of Gelius
Just one punch but it was as if a mountain had collapsed upon him The body of Gelius bent violently the air collapsed around them then the strikes followed at a speed that made even the system late in reading
Arius raised his opponent to the sky with a series of kicks then sealed it with a massive kick that made him slam into the ground embedding his body within it
Above Nahira laughed lightly and said to her assistant
> Do not interrupt them The scene is starting to become entertaining
>
Gelius stood up in pain anger burning in his eyes And the system window appeared again before Arius
> Current Power Analysis 1.8 Septillion — Active Energy Ruler Raizo
>
Arius landed lightly on the ground his eyes narrowing with lethal looks as if the entire existence of Gelius had become a single target killing
The two exchanged looks no word just a clear intent
They launched at the exact same moment and their fists met in the middle
The result
A miniature cosmic explosion
All the bodies around them burned the earth was wiped from existence nothing remained except the energetic bubble that resisted vanishing
And inside it Arius and Gelius were fighting like two monsters from pre creation eras each strike creating a rift in the air itself
Their fists clashed in the middle of the sky space shook and light dissipated
Kicks followed by punches and explosions of pure energy that made the energetic bubble shake in every direction The air itself seemed to cry out for help from the immense pressure caused by the two
After long minutes of continuous clashing exhaustion began to seep into their bodies heavy breathing interrupted breaths sharp looks burning with anger
Gelius pursed his lips in rage and Arius stared at him with coldness like a rock that does not budge
And suddenly
The two shouted together
Their energy was released like a supreme storm and the aura around them rose to its utmost limits
Gelius unleashed all his power at once a crimson aura of pure fire inflaming the sky while the body of Arius began to glow gradually until an exploding blue light engulfed him then the energy erupted from within him to appear in the form of the Highsphere
The system window appeared quickly before his eyes
> Current Power Analysis 90 Septillion
>
On the opposite side Gelius was trembling from the excess of the reading his power rising without pause and the final level had not been determined yet
The energetic pressure between them escalated to an extent that exceeded the capability of the bubble to endure
And it exploded
A silent explosion first then a white wave swept through the entire palace throwing Arius and Gelius outside its scope at a speed that even the system could not track They flew into the sky and their speed alone was tearing through the atmosphere penetrating clouds and breaking light itself
The two headed toward each other and at the moment they touched only
The air decomposed
The mountains shook and the sky cracked like fragile glass
From above Nahira was watching the scene with piercing eyes devoid of any panic She raised her hand and said coldly to her assistant
> Envelope the planet with an energetic layer immediately If this continues nothing but dust will remain
>
The assistant bowed quickly and with a single movement deployed fields of purple energy that contained the entire planet enveloping it with a cosmic layer and proceeded to modify the bodies of the creatures inside so they would not need air
The whole world turned into a suffocating silence
As for above
Arius and Gelius had turned into two colliding stars each collision between them generating waves of violence capable of tearing neighboring worlds apart
The vibrations caused by their collision were erasing planets one after another decomposing and melting as if they were never created one day
Then the two flew further and further they went out of the range of the planet then from its stellar system then from its galaxy itself to fight in the void between universes
Speed No longer had any meaning
What was happening was akin to a permanent explosion between two monsters that had just escaped their cages
Gelius lunged with a swift movement grabbed Arius by his neck then threw him with a force that made him cross millions of kilometers in a flash
Arius finally stopped looking around to see before him a black hole devouring light with a demonic silence
He extended his hand toward it gripped its edges as if it were a tangible substance and began to compress it slowly until it shrank between his fingers
The void shuddered space time itself twisted under his grip Then Arius whispered in a low voice
> Let us see if you are capable of digesting this
>
He pumped a little of his energy into the black hole so it began to glow with a dark light
And in the next moment Gelius appeared before him suddenly alert and said sharply
> What are you planning you fellow
>
Arius did not answer
He remained still without movement
And when Gelius rushed toward him with all his energy Arius threw the black hole directly into his face
The collision was like the explosion of a new creation
The hole began to expand insanely swallowing everything around it the planets first then the stellar systems then the entire universes
Within seconds eight massive universes vanished from existence as if they had never been
Arius looked at the scene with eyes wide with astonishment but amidst that horrific explosion he heard a sound
The sound of a muffled laugh coming from within the nothingness itself
Gelius emerged from the vortex half of his body burned his right arm missing but his eyes glowing with madness
He said slowly his voice dripping with threat
> You do not know whom you are facing
>
Then the unbelievable happened
He opened his mouth wide and began to absorb the black hole that had swallowed the universes
The hole shrank gradually its size contracting like a ball of dark light until it disappeared completely
Then Gelius swallowed it as if it were just a light snack
Arius froze in his place the looks in his eyes mixing astonishment with caution
He muttered in a faint voice sweat pouring from his forehead
> What is this creature He is not a fighter He is a ferocious beast
> Arius stood silent in the midst of the void his eyes glowing with a rising anger as if a hell were born inside him
> He could no longer see anything except Gelius
>
In just a single moment he moved
Space itself tore from his speed and every thread of light broke behind him
He launched like a raging meteor his fist penetrating the silence then colliding directly with the chest of Gelius —
Just one strike
But it was enough to tear an entire planet into two halves
Its layers flew like a burning crust while the body of Gelius was being thrown outside the other half of the planet at a speed exceeding light
Arius did not wait a second he rushed behind him without hesitation
But before he could catch him Gelius suddenly appeared from above him a dense crimson light wrapping around his arms to bring down a crushing blow upon him from above
Arius collided with the void with a mythical force its echoes resonating in the vast space like a flash extending to infinity
His body kept falling into nothingness endlessly a black vortex of pure stillness
And above him Gelius was smiling the look of the victor painted on his face as he whispered
> It is over child of the Highsphere
>
He extended his arm backward and began releasing his energy completely
Space shuddered the stars around him went out one after another then — everything exploded
Smoke flame flying energy tearing the horizon as if the universes themselves were decomposing
But amidst that destruction in the midst of the stillness that followed the explosion
There was a flash
A glowing blue flash rising slowly from the depths of the void
Arius opened his eyes slowly his chest rising and falling
The energy of the Highsphere seemed to rage more than it was before his entire body burning with a pure indigo light
Then in a single moment he vanished
He appeared before Gelius suddenly without sound without a trace of movement
And before Gelius realized what happened
His fist penetrated his chest —
His bones shattered completely
Gelius was stunned by the severity of the pain his body flew at a mythical speed until it vanished from the field of vision completely as if the cosmic winds themselves had cast him to another place
But Arius did not stop
He also vanished from his location to catch something moving toward him at a breakneck speed
That thing was Gelius himself
He grabbed him by his hair his head dangling like a broken doll and his eyes half closed
Arius raised his fist then threw him away into space like a piece of scrap
He extended his hands forward the Highsphere glowing more and more while the energy of Raizo was gathering before his palms in a massive vortex
He whispered in a low voice
> The Nighsphere
>
Space opened before him a massive energetic wave forming to swallow everything in its path
But before he could unleash it
A soft light appeared before him then the face of Nahira
Arius did not hesitate he launched the attack immediately
The wave of the Nighsphere exploded toward her but it stopped in the air the moment Nahira raised her finger
With just a single touch
The attack vanished completely
Then in a flash the distance between them disappeared
Nahira was directly in front of him her eyes devoid of mercy before she whispered
> You have gone too far enough
>
Then she directed a single blow to his stomach
Everything vanished after it
The light decomposed from around him his energy fragmented and the glow of the Highsphere disappeared
Arius fell unconscious his body without awareness or resistance
Nahira extended her hand grabbed his hair with complete coldness
Then she looked downward where the body of Gelius was stretched in the midst of the void half dead
With a single glance she vanished carrying the two with her
In a moment she appeared again in her palace to drop their bodies before the assistant
Her looks were cold condescending
> Take care of them I do not want either of them to die before I decide what I will do with him
>
The assistant bowed immediately saying in a faint voice
> Your command my mistress
>
Nahira turned around without looking behind her the gleam of light disappeared from around her while she left the hall with calm steps
She left them there two still corpses a hero and an opponent both broken under her absolute will
Arius stood up slowly from his bed his eyes half open his breath interrupted from the effect of exhaustion whose source he did not know He looked around carefully to be surprised that the room he was staying in had changed completely — new furniture walls repainted and even the smell of the place seemed different as if someone had rebuilt it from scratch
He raised his hand touching his chest then his stomach and said in a low voice
What is this I feel a slight pain as if something were torn from inside me Since when have I been sleeping like this The last thing I remember is the battle of the bubble those numbers that attacked me then —
He stopped suddenly when he heard a light knocking on the door and the voice of a girl saying with respect
Master Arius may I enter
He took a deep breath and said in a calm tone
Please come in
A young girl wearing the official servant uniform entered her silver hair tied back her features calm but she carried in her eyes a mixture of respect and fear
She said with a bow
Master Arius I am Loronda and I have been newly appointed as your personal maid by order of Mistress Nahira
The features of Arius changed he raised his eyebrow slightly and said in surprise
My personal maid And when did this happen And more importantly how did I return here The last thing I remember is the fighting inside the bubble How did all this end
Loronda cast her head down a little and said in a faint voice
At your command master The truth is that what happened was very chaotic After your battle with Master Gelius ended Mistress Nahira issued her orders to treat you both immediately as you suffered severe wounds and the fighting caused disasters in the lower infrastructure of the region And since then you remained unconscious for three whole days
Arius opened his eyes in surprise as if shock had frozen in his features
Wait What did you say A fight between me and Gelius This is impossible I did not —
He stopped talking trying to arrange his thoughts but nothing was logical He does not remember any confrontation with Gelius nor does he remember even his exit from the bubble Everything in his mind was the moment of his fall in the midst of thousands of soldiers and the voice of Nahira filled with arrogance
He lowered his gaze and said with a mysterious calmness
Loronda are you sure of what you are saying
She replied quickly
Yes master everyone witnessed that You fought Master Gelius with extreme violence until Mistress Nahira intervened herself to stop you both
Arius remained silent for a moment then said in a cold tone
Very well you may leave now and do not tell anyone that I have awakened understood
Loronda bowed saying
As you command master
She went out quietly and the door closed behind her Arius sat on the edge of the bed putting his hand on his forehead and his voice began to fade in the empty room
A fight between me and Gelius Three days of absence I do not remember anything What is happening Did Nahira tamper with my memory Or is there something else
His voice kept fading with his breaths while his looks seemed more mysterious as if something inside him began to awaken slowly from a slumber that was not natural at all
In a quick moment Arius extended his hand before him so the system window opened before his eyes lines of blue and gray light intersecting before his face displaying symbols and commands familiar to him but this time his voice was more serious as he said
System tell me what happened to me Why do I not remember anything of what took place after that battle Did someone tamper with my memories
A short silence prevailed then the calm and emotionless voice of the system emitted
Complete analysis of the molecular memory
Result The memories of the user have not been tampered with
Reason The resulting state is known as The Fracture
The face of Arius changed his eyebrows knitted as he repeated
The Fracture What is this term I have not heard of it before
The system answered him with the same steady tone
The Fracture A rare state that occurs to the user upon reaching a number of permitted kills It appears when the user exceeds his psychological limit during excessive killing The state begins with an acceleration in perception followed by an overwhelming desire for annihilation then a partial loss of analytical consciousness
Arius looked down his hand gripping his chest tightly as if invoking the scenes he does not remember and said with a suspicious calmness
So everything that happened was not an illusion but it was a pure rampage akin to the madness of war
The system continued its explanation
The Fracture does not increase power rather it is a temporary psychological disorder During it the user enters the maximum states of nervous activity which grants him double speed and reaction but at a heavy price
Arius raised his head and said slowly
And what is this price
The system answered him
The price is lethal arrogance In the stage of The Fracture the user feels that he is invincible so he weakens his defenses and belittles his opponents Any simple mistake might end his life
Arius remained silent for a moment his looks frozen like rock Then he said in a low voice
If this state is dangerous to this extent why have I not been afflicted with it before I have fought entire armies and kingdoms
The system issued a short tone before answering
You have been afflicted with it previously during the battles of the ancient dungeons But it was at low degrees This time it was different
The system fell silent for a little then added
The number of enemies you faced inside the bubble reached 1 trillion people
Arius froze in his place his eyes widened with a shock the like of which he had never known before
1 trillion
The echo of his words bounced in the room as if he were not believing what he heard
This is impossible I was fighting them yes but I was not aware that the number reached this limit
The system completed
During that battle your nervous rates exceeded the maximum limit The stage of full Fracture began and its result was loss of consciousness for three consecutive days with the depletion of 70% of your vital energy
Arius breathed slowly then said in a sharp but calm voice
So this is the dark face of the system The power that grants me the ability to kill grants me also the path of madness
He kept staring at the glowing system window before him then closed it slowly while saying
It seems that I used to think myself the controller always but the truth is that I was nothing but the one who is tested every time
Arius stood up slowly his breath calm but his gaze was burning with a mysterious stiffness then he changed his clothes and went out of the room with cold and steady steps The corridor was long engulfed in faint blue lights reflecting on its metal walls and the sound of his steps resonated as if it were a threatening melody in the midst of silence
At that moment a soft voice was heard behind him
Master Arius
He turned lightly looked at her with eyes half closed and said with clear coldness
Ah it is you Loronda
The girl advanced with hesitant steps and said in a cracking voice
Are you well now master You were unconscious for three whole days and I was worried
Arius interrupted her in a calm tone but sharp as the edge of a sword
I am well But I have one question for you and I want you to answer me honestly
Loronda stopped in her place and her eyebrows knitted with a light fear
Please go ahead master
Arius approached her with slow steps until he became directly in front of her and looked into her eyes a look that made her heart freeze He said in a low voice but carrying a hidden tone of threat
Did Mistress Nahira ask you to tell her everything I do My words my actions and even to remain close to me constantly
The girl was confused her body trembled for a moment while she evaded his gaze away from him
N- No master what do you mean Of course she did not ask
But Arius raised his hand suddenly and caught her face with a deceptive gentleness looked at her deeply making her not dare to move and said in a low voice filled with warning
Loronda you look like a good girl and for this I will not anger myself with you But I hate whoever tries to play with my mood or whoever hides the truth from me And now be honest before I lose my patience I do not like to get angry with beautiful girls but do not test that understood
Her face turned red and the words trembled on her lips before she said quickly and tensely
Y- Yes master Mistress Nahira is the one who ordered me she ordered me to tell her everything you do and to stay close to you for your sake as she told me
Arius smiled lightly and left her face slowly then muttered inside himself while shifting his gaze away from her
As I expected the damned Nahira She never trusts me even after all that I have done She still treats me as a tool that can be monitored How foolish you are Nahira
Then he smiled again this time with a cold smile carrying a hidden cunning and looked at Loronda saying in a calm tone
Very well Loronda you are an obedient girl You have executed the orders of your mistress with loyalty But tell me did she not appoint you originally to serve me
She said quickly while she was still tense
Yes master She told me that I have to take care of you and to execute everything you ask of me even if you ordered me to kill myself now
Arius laughed with a dark lightness and said
Ha this is a wondrous loyalty Then he approached her another step his eyes gleaming with a hidden cunning
So listen to me well Loronda from now on everything I do everything I say no matter what it is tell it to Mistress Nahira exactly as it is Have you understood
She was confused more and said in surprise
Master do you really want this Will it not annoy you that I transfer everything to her
Arius smiled a mysterious smile while saying
Of course not We are all in the service of the absolute Mistress Nahira are we not
But at that moment and while Loronda was lowering her head in innocent submission Arius closed his eyes for a short moment and released a light pulse of his energy invisible to the human eye In a fraction of a second that pulse entered the body of Loronda settling inside her chest like a small faint point of light
That was one of his energetic soldiers a small entity that is not seen its consciousness connecting directly with the consciousness of Arius
From that moment he became aware of everything Loronda would say to Nahira and everything Nahira would say to Loronda in return
He continued his walk in the corridor with slow steps and the cold smile did not leave his face while Loronda was walking behind him without realizing anything
He said to himself in a tone brimming with confidence and malice
A perfect plan Nahira you fool You thought you were monitoring me but from now on you are the one under monitoring .